Some Sunday morning reading to share.
Om Malik posts this interesting picture of "light pollution" around the world.
A little brouhaha occurred at one of my former Chicago Theatre stomping grounds and made the New York Times this week. New Tuners Theatre, (now Theatre Building Chicago) produces an annual festival of new musicals in development. I worked on the festival for a number of years while there as a free-lancer and Artistic Director. There had always been a tug-o-war between wanting media coverage of the event and and allowing theatre critics to write about these works in progress. Well the tug-o-war turned into a brawl this year, when Chicago Sun-Times critic, Hedy Weiss, reviewed the festival and the Dramatists Guild got a bit miffed that she was "reviewing" works in progress (an industry assumed no-no.) There's more than meets the eye here as to who is right and who is wrong, because the rules of engagement weren't that clear and had been murky for awhile. Tough to keep a critic from evaluating if you invite them and give them a press kit. Everyone is up in arms. What a mess. Here's a link to The NY Times article and one to Chicago's Theatre trade paper, Performink, which contains more links.
Now, I'm always one for a good stall surfing story, but hoo-boy, stall putting? Not so sure. According to the product page it is so addictive you'll want one for the home and the office. Via Gizmodo via GottaBeMobile colleague Matt Faulkner.
The TSA has pulled the plug on using the "puffer" technology for explosives detection in airports because, wait for it... the technology doesn't work as advertised. Look, I know technology doesn't work right out of the box, and when you had bureaucratic bungling and graft into the mix it is always a recipe for a rip-off. But this is just criminal. Via MSNBC.
Now we have a robot that can taste wines, name the specific brand, and recommend a good cheese to go along with it. Why?
Good reading about one writer's view of the journalism wars at the end of the 19th century. The Great Press War of 1897. The more things change...
